Davidian's Holy Grail War

"I'll go see King Ullens of Gol one more time and then return to Orkney. You go back first, as an excellent knight who has obtained the Holy Sword. You must teach Agravion and Gahoris well, understand?"

Tonelli's words revealed her maternal authority and seriousness, serving as a unique admonition that Gawain should not become arrogant and complacent just because he had obtained the Holy Sword.

"Yes, I understand." Gawain obediently lowered his head, following his mother's instructions. Then he clapped his hands, and just as David was wondering what he was doing, the sound of horses' hooves came.

A reddish-brown warhorse galloped up to Gawain's side. The sturdy horse stopped beside Gawain and nuzzled his shoulder armor affectionately.

“Then, Mother, farewell. I will wait for you to return in Orkney.”

With that, Gawain mounted his horse and galloped off towards Orkney. The horse was clearly an excellent steed, and in no time, David and Tonelli could see Gawain from sight.

Once Gawain was out of sight, David turned around to return to the embassy. Although the battle had eased his mind considerably, it wasn't entirely without impact.

He had always thought that Tonelli beside him was similar to him, but Gawain's words shattered his heart.

Tonelli is not just a teenager; she's a wife and has a child as old as Gawain. And judging from her words just now, she doesn't only have Gawain as a child.

This incident had such a huge impact on him that even Tonelli didn't know how to start a conversation.

For a teenager, the impact of this is far more real than the previous scenario where the two people would be at odds in the future.

After all, the future is the future, and the present is the present.

The two slowly returned to the embassy, ​​and Toneric went into her room without a word. Only after she closed the door did Davidian return to his own room.

But he was taken aback as soon as he entered the room; a person dressed in white with white hair was standing by the window with their back to him. Of course, the only person who would come to see him at this time was Merlin, but he didn't know why Merlin had come.

"Hey, David, it's been a while." Merlin turned around and greeted him with a smile, his attitude very casual.

But David knew he must have something to say; it would be strange for someone like Merlin to come here simply to reminisce.

"It has indeed been a while, Merlin. What brings you here?" He lowered the dark sword from his waist; with Merlin here, he didn't need to be so wary.

After all, who would dare to cause trouble right under Merlin's nose? If someone were to ignore Merlin and come to cause trouble, it wouldn't be something David could stop.

"After all, your relationship with her is slowly warming up. If I don't do something about it, it won't be good."

He explained the situation in just one sentence, and David couldn't help but feel dizzy upon hearing it. Good heavens, this guy was the one who brought Gawain here.

Yes, as Gawain just mentioned, it was guidance from a dream.

Merlin's greatest skill is secretly causing trouble for people in their dreams.

I'd been getting brutally beaten up by Altori in my dreams for three years, and yet I'd completely overlooked such important information just now. Was I just being too tense lately?

"While honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial, aren't you afraid I'll hold a grudge against you for doing this?" David sighed, somewhat helpless. This whole affair might actually be a good thing; it's made David face reality.

But Davidian himself still has to swallow this emotional bitterness, whether it has happened or not.

Merlin laughed without hesitation upon hearing his words:

"Hahaha, it's okay for young people to encounter some relationship problems. Besides, there's a huge age gap between you two, that's the truth. She could be your mother, she already has three children. And it's much better to tell you now than to find out later."

This was perhaps Merlin's idea of ​​cutting his losses early; it was far better than David getting too deeply involved and then finding out the truth later. As for being resented, ha, that was nothing. He wasn't afraid; it was a trivial matter.

"Would you like me to tell you more? I don't mind, like her true colors, what she really wants, and why she wants them."

Merlin certainly wouldn't mind exposing Toneric's secrets here. If Davidan wanted to know, Merlin wouldn't hesitate to risk his life to show him even the color of Toneric's underwear.

"No, let's forget it. If it really comes to the point where she can't hide it anymore, or if she wants to tell me herself, she'll eventually. Besides, I actually know a few fragments of the future..."

He placed his hand on the dark sword, and he saw those futures for himself.

He simply didn't know whether he would be able to change the future for the better like Touma Kamiyama, or become a plaything of fate like Daichi Kamijou.

"Can I really decide the ending of this story? Is it really possible?" He couldn't help but think to himself.

Chapter 22 Right of Choice

"Oh, you've met Gawain too, right? What did you think of him?"

Merlin then mentioned Gawain, which pleased Davidian.

After all, Gawain is a really good person; he is both humble and very capable.

Just like his holy sword that represents the sun, Gawain gives people a feeling of passion without being annoying.

"If I had to say, I wouldn't really want to be enemies with Gawain; he's a very good person."

It's truly an unimaginable talent that someone with such outstanding abilities and appearance can still not be disliked.

But you brought him here not just to tell me he's Toneric's son, were you?

David confided his thoughts, and he could more or less guess at his future connection with Gawain.

"Of course, Sun Knight, the invincible Gao Wenqing. You will build countless achievements together with him in the future. He, like you, will be the king's right-hand man."

Merlin's words confirmed David's inner thoughts: Gawain and he would not be enemies in the future, but comrades-in-arms.

"So what are you planning to do next? Let me tell you in advance, I don't recommend you go to the Gore region. Because King Ullens has great ambitions. He has no interest in the Sword of Kings, in fact, he thinks he is the one who should draw the sword."

Merlin's words were a warning to him: there are some people you really don't need to meet, because meeting them won't change anything and might even cause you trouble.

After listening to Merlin's words, Davidian thought for a moment before speaking:

"Then I plan to go to France. I want to see the Knight of the Lake. I remember his name is... Lancelot, right?"

Then, when I return from France, I plan to land in Orkney and see Gawain again there. Judging by the time, I think it'll be about the day of the King's Election by then. If I have time, I will definitely come.”

"Oh, you're actually planning to see him? That's much earlier than I expected."

Merlin chuckled and scratched his head, but Davidian wasn't sure if what he said was true or false. Faced with someone who could see so clearly into the present era, he himself wasn't sure how much Merlin could actually see.

"Since there's no need for Gore to go, let's go directly to see that strongest knight in France. It'll be a good opportunity to compare him with Gawain, and also to give me a clearer understanding of my current level. Merlin, in Britain right now, can Gawain even be considered a top-tier knight?"

Davidian explained his intentions and also wanted to know how strong Gawain was in Merlin's eyes.

"Remove the King, Balin, and Artorius, and it should be Gawain. What, do you think you can defeat Gawain already?"

Merlin wasn't sure just how strong Davian was now. The Dark Sword's shielding wasn't that simple; even his top-tier clairvoyance couldn't discern Davian's true strength.

The previous battle between David and Gawain wasn't a life-or-death struggle, so it wasn't enough to truly reveal the difference in their abilities.

Upon hearing Merlin's question, Davidian shook his head:

"No, I can't beat Gawain right now. Maybe I can overpower him in swordsmanship. But for some reason, his strength is so great that even when I'm fully armed, I'm quite helpless against him."

You should know the truth, right? But don't tell me that knowing the truth about someone else's power is truly a death sentence.

"Of course, of course, after all, I was the one who guided him to obtain Kaleidin. I know very well what kind of bonus that sword will bring him, but since you don't want to hear it, I won't say it."

Indeed, those who wield the Holy Sword attract other wielders of the Holy Sword. I didn't expect you to want to see Lancelot so soon. Is it because you're attracted to Arondette in his possession?

Merlin certainly knew the sword well, after all, Lancelot had also been raised by fairies. And Merlin claimed there wasn't a single fairy in the world he didn't know.

"But since you're going to France, I recommend you head south to Cornwall and then take a ship to France. And you're actually going to Orkney? That's the northernmost point of Britain, known as the Orkney of the End."

"With you going back and forth like this, it'll probably be time for the election of the king. After all, this isn't your era anymore. Even with magic, many things are incomparable."

Even so, Merlin had come to agree with David's idea.

Moreover, there is a loyal and excellent knight in Cornwall.

I imagine that the sincere David will get along well with that person... even though that person seems rather frivolous.

David nodded, indicating that he had remembered Merlin's words. He figured Merlin wouldn't give him anything complicated with such simple advice.

"So, Tonelli, what do you plan to do? Just lay everything bare and go your separate ways?"

Merlin also wanted to hear Davian's thoughts on this matter, since Tonelli now held considerable weight in Davian's heart.

Even though it was only for a short period of time, this was still the third living person Davidan had encountered in the past few years. Coupled with their previous adventures, their relationship wouldn't end so easily.

When asked about this, David could only sigh:

"I can only leave the choice back to her, even though I've always known her contact with me was ill-intentioned. But I've already drunk this poisoned nectar, what can I do now?"

Because he himself was aware of one thing: even if her contact was ill-intentioned. But Tonelli never intended to kill him. Although Tonelli had problems, she was by no means an incomprehensible person.

Merlin merely smiled, a smile tinged with sarcasm. Perhaps things were good now, but he knew all too well what the future held.

Tonelli's resentment and hatred wouldn't diminish; they would only grow stronger with Altoris's increasing activity. This was beyond David's control; continuing down this path would only bring him more trouble.

But Merlin felt he had done enough, said enough. The rest was up to David to deal with.

Because he could see the outcome, he felt even more that he shouldn't interfere.

Everyone has their own story, and everyone inevitably has their own ending. David's ending has already been decided, and how he reaches that ending is up to him.

"Alright, now that you understand, I'll be going. Who knows when we'll meet again? Do your best, David. I look forward to your success and to you making a name for yourself in this world."

After saying this, Merlin transformed into countless flower petals and vanished. How he arrived is unknown, but his departure was certainly quite flamboyant.

David gave a bitter smile, picked up a few petals, and blew them out the window into the distance. What would the story's ending be? All he could see were fragments, just like these petals scattered on the ground.

Chapter 23 Contentment with the Status Quo

At night, Altoris finished his day's work, fed the horses, and patrolled the village.

He can finally get a good night's sleep and let his body rest.

From midnight to sunrise, although it was only a short period of less than three hours, it was probably enough for a superhuman like her.

However, the mind cannot rest, even in sleep. He found himself once again in this familiar flowerbed, a dream he was very accustomed to.